Iowa Hawkeyes vs Penn State Nittany Lions Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Penn State vs Iowa NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Iowa City.

Penn State vs Iowa Prediction

Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes. The game is starting at 9:00 ET on FS1, and it's hosted by the Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA. Get ready to place your bets! The over/under for this Big Ten conference contest is set at 171.5 points, with Iowa being favored by -2.5 at home against Penn State.

Penn State vs. Iowa Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Penn State Nittany Lions at Iowa Hawkeyes
Where: Iowa City at Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Date: Friday, January 24th
Betting Odds IOWA -2.5, PENNST +121 | IOWA -147 O/U 171.5

Nittany Lions Preview: Can the Nittany Lions Grab a Win on the Road?

Penn State Nittany Lions Recent Game/Games

Penn State improved to 13-6 on the season with an 80-72 win over Rutgers on Monday. Playing at home, the Nittany Lions were -7 favorites going into the game and covered the spread with the victory.

After leading 37-35 at halftime, Penn State outscored Rutgers 43-37 in the second half. The game’s total points of 152 fell just short of the 155.5 over/under line.

Nittany Lions Offense Breakdown

Penn State's offense put up 80 points in their last game, shooting 49% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 59.2%. They hit 47.6% of their threes, going 10-for-21, and were strong from the free-throw line, converting 81.5% of their attempts (22/27).

Ace Bailey led the way with 30 points, shooting 86.7% overall and 80% from three (4/5). Yanic Konan Niederhauser was also efficient, hitting 87.5% of his shots, while Nick Kern Jr. was perfect from the field, including 1/1 from three. Ace Baldwin Jr. added 22 points and 8 assists, and Freddie Dilione V was 4-for-4 from deep.

Nittany Lions Team Defense

Even with Penn State giving up 72 points, their opponents managed to shoot 49% from the field, hitting 24 of 49 shots. Inside the arc, they went 14/28, good for 50% shooting.

From three-point range, Penn State allowed 10 threes on 21 attempts, a 47% shooting performance. Their opponents also took advantage at the free-throw line, making 22 of 27 for 81%. Penn State limited them to just 4 offensive rebounds.

Hawkeyes Preview: Will Iowa Find a Way to Win at Home?

Iowa dropped to 12-7 on the season after a 72-67 home loss to Minnesota on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes were -8.5 favorites going into the game but couldn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game ended at 139, falling short of the 150.5 over/under line.

Iowa trailed 32-28 at halftime and couldn’t turn things around in the second half, where they scored 39 points but allowed 40.

Hawkeyes Offense Breakdown

Iowa's offense struggled from beyond the arc in their last game, hitting just 3 of 21 three-point attempts for a 14.3% shooting percentage. Despite their struggles from deep, they shot 62.5% on two-point attempts, finishing with an overall field goal percentage of 45.9% and an effective field goal percentage of 49.2%.

Owen Freeman and Payton Sandfort each scored 21 points, with Freeman shooting 71.4% from the field. Sandfort made just 1 of 8 threes, shooting 36.8% overall. The Hawkeyes finished with 19 assists and 9 offensive rebounds in the game.

Hawkeyes Team Defense

Despite giving up 72 points, Iowa's defense struggled to contain their opponent inside, allowing them to shoot 62% on two-point attempts, with 25 makes out of 40 tries. However, the Hawkeyes did a solid job defending the perimeter, holding their opponent to just 14% shooting from beyond the arc, as they made only 3 of their 21 three-point attempts.

From the free-throw line, Iowa's opponent went 8/12, hitting 66% of their foul shots. The Hawkeyes also gave up 9 offensive rebounds in the game.

Nittany Lions vs Hawkeyes Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Across the Nittany Lions last five road games, the team averaged 71 points per game while allowing 80. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 1-4, while going 1-4 straight-up.
In their last three games at home, the Hawkeyes have a straight up record of 0-3 while going 0-3 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 81 points per game in these contests.
Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Nittany Lions have gone 2-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 0-3.
Going back to their previous ten games as the favorite, Iowa has an ATS mark of 7-3 while going 8-2 straight up.